A Hole in the Hedge
by StarsAbove221B
Summary: A sort-of AU in which Naboo has regular royalty and Luke is safely in a position of command at the Resistance base. Arabellah, princess of Naboo, finds a way out of the prison that is the palace and meets a young rebel named Tal. He convinces her to join the Resistance, and she finds herself with more freedom than she ever imagined.
1. Chapter 1

Just one afternoon outside the palace walls, that's all that was supposed to happen. My parents, the first king and queen of Naboo since the revolution, only wanted to keep me safe. My name is Princess Arabellah Oleid, heir to the throne of Naboo. My parents are very strict about keeping me and my little sister Rosali safe, so they don't allow us to wander beyond the palace gardens, except for official occasions.

But I got tired of the same old rooms, the same old gardens, the same old view. Every day was the same: get up, eat breakfast, spend four hours with the tutor, eat lunch, wander around the garden all afternoon, maybe draw or read for a while, eat dinner, go to bed. Every day, day after day after day after day. It's been that way ever since I can remember.

I never planned to leave, I swear. I never looked for the hole.

One afternoon in the early summer, I put down my sketchbook and went outside for another quiet stroll through the flower gardens. I decided to go to a part of the gardens that wasn't often visited.

This part of the garden was slightly more unkempt than the rest. The flowers peeked out from under weeds grown too long left untouched. Rogue blooms poked through the gravel path. I sat on a bench facing the outer hedge. The hedge hadn't been trimmed for a while, either. It was oddly refreshing, a vague contrast to the perfection of the palace, almost as if the garden itself were rebelling. Then again, maybe the gardeners needed to do the job they were paid to do.

Beyond the hedge, I heard the sounds of the city: the chattering of people and aliens as they ambled through the marketplace, the ships overhead as they pulled in for a landing in Theed's main spaceport. I longed to be out there with them, living a normal life, a _free_ life.

Then I saw the hole. It was at the bottom of the hedge directly in front of me. I glanced around to see that no one was watching, then lowered myself to my knees and looked through. It went all the way through the four-foot-thick hedge but stopped at the outside wall. I sat back, disappointed. Then I noticed that one of the bricks was sticking out ever so slightly. I reached in and tugged at it. With it tumbled enough bricks to leave a gap the same size as the one in the hedge.

Without stopping to think about how the hole had gotten there, I plunged through, twigs prying at my elaborately pinned-up hair like bony fingers. When I emerged into the street, I stood and looked around me. No one seemed to have noticed a well-dressed girl suddenly appear out of nowhere.

I'd hardly taken one step away from the wall when I heard the sound of blasters and turned to see a young man streak around the corner of the street, followed by a squad of First Order stormtroopers hot on his heels.

One thing you have to know about me is that I _hate_ the First Order. My parents don't mind them as long as they leave Naboo alone, but I can't stand them. They take advantage of the less fortunate and make it their business to control the entire galaxy.

So I did the first thing that popped into my head. I picked up a stone about the size of my fist and flung it at the troopers as they grew closer. The entire squad stopped dead and stared at me.

The boy they'd been chasing grabbed my hand and whispered, "Run!"

I took his advice. I'd wished it many times before, but that was the first time I _really_ wished I hadn't been wearing a dress.

The troopers chased after us, randomly shooting at us with their blasters, as we weaved between hovercars and landspeeders and pushed through crowds. The boy tossed me a grenade as we ran.

"I can't use this!" I objected. "There are innocent people around!"

"It's only riot-control smoke, it won't hurt anyone," he explained, breathing heavily.

I pressed the button and threw it behind me, hardly watching where it went. There was a bright flash, and a few people cried out in surprise.

We careened around a corner and the boy pulled me into a concave along the side of the road. We watched in silence as the troopers ran right past us and into the rest of the city.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief. The boy laughed softly through his panting and rested his head against the wall.

"I'm Tal, by the way," he said, offering a hand. "Tal Castian."

I shook the proffered hand gratefully, looking him over. He had wavy, sandy-colored hair and soft hazel eyes that shone with an excited energy. His tan jacket had the symbol of the Resistance stitched on the sleeves.

I realized he was looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to give my own name. Now, I've been taught my entire life, as most people are, never to give my name to strangers. Only, in my case, it's to keep me safe from assassins and such. So I gave the first name that came to my mind.

"I'm Bellah Undarri."

As soon as I said it I regretted it. Shortened version of my real name? Not a great idea. Nor was it creative. I could've called myself anything, _anything_ in the galaxy, and I went for Bellah. _At least I gave a fake_ last _name_ , I told myself. _I'm lucky I didn't accidentally slip him my_ real _name._

Tal looked at me thoughtfully. Scratching the back of his head, he said, "They're going to put a watch out on you, you know. Since you basically attacked a stormtrooper."

"I only threw a rock at him."

"And a smoke grenade. That counts as rebellion against the First Order. You could be in serious danger if you stay here."

"Where else would I go?"

"Come with me. Join the Resistance in their fight against the First Order. You'd do well, I think."

"I…I can't. I'm only fifteen."

Tal shrugged. "They let me join at age twelve. They'll let virtually anyone join, so long as you can prove you aren't a spy or something."

I shook my head. "I can't. My family wouldn't understand. Speaking of which, I should be getting home now anyway. I've been gone too long."

"Oh. Okay," Tal said. He looked a little disappointed, but he managed a smile. "Go ahead home, then."

"Thanks. It was nice meeting you."

"You too."

We left our hiding place, and I turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Looking back, I saw Tal holding out a small durasheet to me. "If you change your mind, you can find me at this address."

I took the durasheet and read the note. It wasn't an address - it was a spaceport dock number. I looked up to thank him, but he was already gone, disappeared into the crowded streets of Theed.

I made my way through the streets and reached the hole once again. I leaned down to crawl through it, and as I did, I saw my tiara swinging entangled from a branch. My hand instinctively went to my hair, feeling the crown's absence. Tal must've thought me to be merely a girl from a rich family. I guess that helped my alias.

I snatched the tiara from the grasping branches as I crawled through, then piled the bricks back up as best I could.

Pulling myself from the hedge, I jammed the tiara on my head and headed back to the palace, thinking over what Tal had said.

 _What_ _was_ _I thinking,_ _saying no_ _?_ I wanted to scream at myself. _Of_ course _I wanted to join the Resistance!_ _That was exactly what I had wanted: a life of my own, free from the restrictions of palace walls._

I glanced at the durasheet I still clutched in my hand, thinking hard. My thoughts were interrupted when a harsh voice cried, "Arabellah!"

I looked up to see my mother striding towards me. She was clearly upset.

"What have you done to your clothes!" she exclaimed.

I hadn't even thought of what this whole endeavor had done to my dress, but looking down, I saw that I was coated in dust and leaves. My hair was probably a mess, too.

"What have you been doing to get so dirty, girl?" She began brushing me off, then stopped, her face contorted in disgust. "Go quickly and bathe before dinner."

Relieved that she didn't press the question, I hurried inside to my private quarters.


	2. Chapter 2

Next afternoon, dressed in my dirtiest and poorest-looking dress (which isn't actually very dirty or poor at all), I found myself wandering to the hole in the hedge once again, the durasheet enclosed in my hand. The message was gone from its surface, but I had memorized it ages before it faded. I wasn't sure why I still held the sheet. It just felt right, I guess. Like my own little symbol of hope.

I was still in debate with myself over whether or not to go. I couldn't just leave my family. If I did, news would spread all over the galaxy and _everyone_ would be looking for me, destroying any chance I'd had of freedom.

At the same time, now that the chance had been given to me, I couldn't just ignore it. If I didn't go, I would always regret it.

 _It's now or never,_ I told myself.

Ten minutes later, I stood outside Dock 133 in Theed's main spaceport. Tentatively, I reached out and knocked.

A strange man answered the door and asked gruffly, "What do you want?"

"I want to talk to Tal Castian," I squeaked nervously. "Tell him it's Bellah."

The man ducked back into the dock. A minute later, Tal emerged.

"Hi!" he said brightly. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't interested."

Shuffling my feet, I admitted, "I changed my mind. I want to join the Resistance."

"Great! Come inside and we'll take you to the base right away!"

"Hang on a minute." Tal's face betrayed a little confusion as I halted his progress in leading me inside. "I'll join, but I have to be able to come home everyday. I can't be out for more than the afternoons, or they'll notice I'm gone."

Tal's expression was now one of concern. Slowly, he said, "I'm not sure how that will work. No one's ever been given special permissions like that before. Not that _I_ know of, anyway. It'll be tricky, but I'll see what I can do."

I relaxed. I had expected him to say no, and that would be the end of this whole thing. I relaxed and let him lead me inside and introduce me as Bellah Undarri to the other rebels in the dock, then he took me to the ship waiting in the center of the dock. It had been a long time since I was in a spaceship, but I hopped in without a word.

As I strapped myself in, Tal buckled himself into the pilot seat and put his hands to the controls. I personally have no clue how to fly, but he did it brilliantly. We never even had to leave Naboo. The Resistance base was in some remote forested area that I'd never seen before. We came in for a smooth landing on a large disk of tarmac next to the base, and I disembarked, ogling at all the men and women in pilot's uniforms occupying the docking area, droids dogging their heels as they serviced their stationary fighter ships.

"You like it?" Tal asked as he trotted down the ship's ramp to me.

I nodded, smiling.

"Come on." He started towards an opening in the side of a hill, in which still more ships of varying sorts sat waiting to be used. I followed, staring at my surroundings in wide-eyed curiosity.

Inside the base, two men approached us with solemn countenances.

"Who is this?" the taller of the two asked, addressing Tal. He was a buff man with piercing gray eyes, dark hair, and a very large jaw.

"This is Bellah Undarri, Commander. She'd like to join the Resistance."

I held my hand out to the men in a friendly manner, but they ignored me.

"Mr. Castian, how do you know she is not a spy?"

"Um, well… I don't, really, but –"

"Yet you brought her here anyway? Your innocent trust will get you in trouble someday, mark my words, Mister Castian."

The other man, older than his companion, with a grey beard and garbed in a dark robe, halted his partner and said, "Hold on, Commander. I trust Mister Castian's judgment. He would not knowingly bring an enemy spy into our midst. He must trust the girl, and we should, too, until we have such evidence as proves to the contrary."

He turned to me and asked kindly, "You wish to join our forces?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you have no evil intent?"

"None, sir," I replied, shaking my head.

He looked at me thoughtfully. "I sense no evil about you. However…," he trailed off, shaking his head. He faced his companion and ordered, "Let Miss Undarri join, Commander Olin. She is of good mettle, and we have great need of that at such a time as this."

The commander nodded. "Of course, Master Skywalker."

I gasped. Skywalker? _Luke_ Skywalker! I had heard tales of a Jedi, the last of his kind, who went by that name, but I had thought them only legends. Now it seemed I had met the hero of those stories!

"Miss Undarri, I would like to speak to you for a moment, please," said Master Skywalker.

I nodded, and he led me a short distance from Tal, who was telling Commander Olin of my requests to be allowed home each day.

In a hushed voice, Master Skywalker muttered, "You have no harmful or reason for wanting to join us, of that I am sure, but I sense that you are not who you say."

I reddened. I hadn't anticipated anyone finding out my true identity. "Please, Master, don't tell anyone. I don't like to lie, but if the wrong people found out who I am, it could put me and everyone around me in danger."

"But who _are_ you, girl?"

I hesitated, unsure whether or not to answer truthfully. If the stories I'd heard about Master Skywalker were true, then he was someone I could trust. "Since you already know who I'm not, I'll tell you that I am a princess of Naboo," I whispered.

"Arabellah?"

I nodded. Master Skywalker knitted his brows.

"Please don't tell anyone, Master Skywalker. Please. You have no idea how much this opportunity means to me."

I watched anxiously as he thought, then nodded. "Don't worry, Princess. No one shall learn of this."

"Thank you, Master."

He nodded again, still frowning slightly, and I went back to Tal.

"Commander Olin has agreed for you to come here only in the afternoons. It was tough, but none can resist the persuasive words of Tal Castian." He grinned. "What did Master Skywalker want to talk to you about?"

"Nothing. Just making sure I would fit in, I guess." I shrugged the question off.

"Oh. Come on, let's get you some regulation clothes. You can't fight the First Order in a dress!"

I was fitted with a white button-up shirt, dark red pants, leather boots, and a belt, complete with gun holster. I unpinned my bun and braided my hair instead.

As I came out of the changing room, a woman in an official-looking uniform gave me some papers to sign and, once I had done that, handed me a comlink, an ID card, and a blaster, which I handled very delicately. She showed me briefly how to use them and told me to keep them with me at all times.

I've never even really held a blaster before, so to be given one and told it's mine to keep made me nervous. I felt strong and independent of my old life at the same time, though. It was a good feeling. All the same, I kept my finger far from the trigger.

The woman told me of all the training I'd have to go through before being allowed to actually fight or go on missions. I did my best to pay attention, but my thoughts kept drifting to the blaster in my holster. I was absolutely terrified that it would go off, even without me touching it.

When she finished, I left the changing rooms and found Tal waiting patiently on a bench.

He stood and suggested, "It's getting late. You should probably go home for the day, right?"

I nodded in response, and we worked our way back to the port, where our ship awaited.

As we clambered aboard and strapped in, Tal asked, "So what did you think?"

"I think… I think this is right for me. I made the right choice."


	3. Chapter 3

For the next three days, it was perfect. Every afternoon, I snuck out through the hole, went to Dock 133, was transported to the base, trained for a few hours, then went home. It was working, and my parents never found out.

Then one evening, I came home and headed straight for my room as usual. I tucked my Resistance uniform and ID into my private safe and washed up, then put on a dress. I slipped my comlink into the hidden pocket I'd had made specifically for the purpose. Before I could do the same with my blaster, though, the door opened without warning. The blaster was still lying in plain sight on the bed!

"Arabellah, where have you been?" It was my mother, and, as usual, she didn't look happy with me. "The servants have been searching all over the grounds for you."

Thank goodness she was focused on me, or she would most certainly have seen the blaster. I edged closer to the bed as I replied, "I've been in here the whole time, Mother."

"They said they searched over the entire palace."

"Well, you know how servants are." I laughed. Then I winced at how fake it sounded. I shuffled over a few more inches, almost enough to obscure the blaster from my mother's eyes.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you weren't on the grounds at all."

"Nope, I've been here the entire day." Now standing right in front of the blaster, I probed around behind me and scooped it up, holding it tightly to my back. _Please don't go off_ , I pleaded silently.

The queen examined me with eagle eyes for several moments, then harrumphed and left, closing the door in her wake.

I blew a sigh of relief and pulled the blaster from its hiding place.

"You," I addressed the blaster, "are a lot of trouble." Then I realized, "I'm talking to a gun." I rolled my eyes and shoved it into my pocket.

The walk from my quarters to the dining hall is a long journey, one that always seems longer as a result of my dread of what I know awaits me at the end of it. Mealtimes with my family are rough, and if I had my choice, I'd have my meals delivered to my room. But Mother and Father insist that we should have dinner together every night, and every night, the situation gets worse. My parents love my little sister Rosali to bits, and I do too, but they can't stand the sight of me. They always assume that I'm wrong, even if I'm trying to make a reasonable suggestion to help with the political problems they're facing.

It was hard, but I did my best not to get upset. It wouldn't have done any good to get angry and yell at them and then get grounded for a month, especially now that I was in the Resistance. I wouldn't have been able to train.

So I trudged the lengthy walk to the dining hall, as I did every evening. Rosali joined me as I passed her room. She was dressed in her usual pink and her long, curly brown hair hung down her back.

"I haven't hardly seen you all week, Bell," she said. "Where have you been?"

I redirected the question as best I could. "I don't know, Lili. Where do you think I've been?"

She thought for a moment, then suggested, "Um... The library?"

"Nope."

"The pond?"

"Nope." I wasn't really sure what I'd do if she went through every place in the palace and I still hadn't said 'yes'. I was reluctant to lie to her. She was so trusting, and I loved her far too much to tell her a fib.

Fortunately, I was saved that trouble when I saw something odd through a window. I only saw it for a second before it disappeared around a corner, but it looked like a person - dressed all in white - standing at the corner of the building. I asked Rosali if she'd seen it. She hadn't, but at least it moved the subject from my whereabouts that week.

We reached the dining hall and took our seats, but my place faces the biggest window in the room. Through it, I could see down to the gardens, where more people dressed in white were edging along the outside of the palace, pressing themselves against the walls and peering through windows as they went. As they drew closer, I could see clearly what they were. Stormtroopers!

My eyes widened, and my mind raced. _Why are they here? What are they doing?_ _What should_ I _do?_ My hand slowly moved to my blaster. Neither Rosali nor my parents seemed to notice anything was wrong.

The troopers reached a guard, approaching him from behind and putting a hand to his nose and mouth. The guard passed out almost immediately, and they dropped him on the ground and continued.

I wasn't sure what to do. I couldn't fight them myself, not without help. I'd only had three days of training! And the last thing I needed was for my family to wonder how I learned how to fight even that much. I excused myself and left the room hurriedly amid loud objections from Mother and Father. I rushed to a window and looked out. There were more troopers now, dozens of them marching in through the front gate. The guards had been knocked out, and the stormtroopers were surrounding the palace. One of them saw me at the window and fired his blaster. The glass shattered just as I ducked."She's in there! Raid the building!"

A shout came from outside: "She's in there! Raid the building!"

I turned to get Rosali from the dining hall, but my path was blocked by a line of stormtroopers clambering in through a window. I pulled my blaster and ran, but the other end of the hallway was barred by the same obstacle. I skidded to a stop and looked to either side in panic.

The troopers ordered me to halt and drop my weapon, but I didn't. I did the only thing I could think of to get away. I jumped out the window.

I rolled as I landed on the gravel path, but the impact hurt my leg.

"Get her!" a stormtrooper shouted, pointing at me.

I jumped to my feet and limped through the gardens with an entire company of troopers in pursuit. I hurried to the hole and ducked under the hedge. I kicked the bricks as I usually did, expecting them to give way and let me out, but they stood firm. I kicked harder and harder, but they didn't budge. My leg ached from the force of the poundings.

Panic was building up inside me, the stormtroopers were getting closer, so once more, I did the first thing I could think of. I pulled myself out from under the hedge - my tiara was left caught in the branches just like the afternoon I met Tal - and began to climb it.


	4. Chapter 4

I learned that climbing a bush is a _lot_ harder than it looks, but my fear spurred me on. I had almost scaled the whole ten feet, but then the troopers caught up with me and grabbed at my legs. I kicked them off and reached the summit, then stumbled across and leapt into the street. My poor legs were getting more and more beaten up, and I could hardly run anymore. But having a large group of stormtroopers chasing you is great motivation to move as fast as you can, and I managed to make it to the spaceport, shooting at the troopers as I went. My aim still wasn't that great, though, especially while moving, so I don't think I actually hit anything.

I pulled out my comlink, hoping to contact Tal, but I must have landed on it in one of my many falls and broken it. I threw it on the ground in frustration and hammered on the door of Dock 133, praying that _someone_ would be there at this time in the evening.

No one answered, and the troopers rounded the corner and spotted me. They rushed towards me and I was about to give up, but a voice called out, "Hey! Leave her alone!"

The troopers stopped dead - in surprise, I suppose - and stared at someone beyond me.

I whipped my head around, hoping to see Tal, but it wasn't him. Of course it wasn't: the voice was much too high. It was a tall, slender Twi'lek girl about my age standing outside of Dock 137, just a few hundred yards away. I ran to her as fast as my legs could manage.

"Need a ride?" she asked. I nodded fervently, and she opened the door to 137 and pulled me inside. She closed the door behind her just in time, and I heard the thuds of the troopers trying to get in.

The Twi'lek girl led me to her craft: a small, junky-looking thing that hardly looked like it had enough power to lift _one_ person off the ground, let alone two.

She opened the ramp and climbed in, beckoning me to follow. I was unsure, but just then, the door of the port started to crack open. The troopers were getting in. I followed the girl into the spacecraft and closed it up behind me.

"Where are you headed?" She looked at me expectantly. I gave her the coordinates for a spot just east of the Resistance base. She typed them in, and we were off.

"I'm Tas'harhi, by the way," she offered calmly, as if she hadn't just saved my life. "What's your name?"

"Bellah," I gasped. "Thanks for saving me."

"No problem."

I observed my rescuer. She had lilac skin with lighter slashes along her lekku, and her eyes were a deep chocolate brown. She seemed incredibly serene considering the event that had just occurred, and she smiled to herself as she flew the rickety craft. Her clothes were modest, only a soiled green jumpsuit and scuffed-up boots. I would've felt shy for wearing a fancy dress if it hadn't been so dirty and torn up.

We flew over the palace and my mind turned to Rosali and my parents. I was sure they were still alive, the stormtroopers had seemed to be after me specifically. I was still nervous, though.

"How is it that you have a ship of your own?" I questioned, trying to fill the silence.

Tas'harhi shrugged. "My parents weren't around much. They mostly left me at home to fend for myself, so one day I just left, and I took my dad's ship with me." She grinned at me. "He taught me how to fly, so I guess it backfired on him."

"Are you from Naboo?"

The ship began making sharp clanking noises, and Tas'harhi hit the dashboard with a large hammer that had been hanging up next to the pilot's seat. The clanking stopped.

"It's always doing that," she said cheerfully. I nodded, trying to smile. I was getting more and more afraid of crash-landing with every minute that passed.

"Anyway," she continued, as if nothing had happened. "No, I'm from Ryloth, the Twi'lek home planet. It's really nice there, but when I left home I decided I wanted to see the galaxy, so that's what I did. I've been all over the place, but this is my favorite planet so far. I love the lakes and the hills. It's so _green_ here!"

I smiled. It was quite remarkable to me that this junky old thing could survive even one space venture. "Yes," I agreed. "Naboo is renowned for its beauty throughout the galaxy. I love it, too."

We lapsed into silence for several minutes until Tas'harhi said, "Oh, we're here. I'll land in this clearing and let you out."

"Thanks so much for the ride, Tas'harhi."

"Hey, you're welcome. If you don't mind me asking, though, why did you want me to drop you off out here? It's so remote. Where are you going to sleep?"

I looked outside. Sure enough, it was almost twilight. I'd have to hurry to the base if I wanted to get there before dark.

"I'll be fine, don't worry," I reassured her. "Thanks again."

I left the spacecraft and ran into the woods, clutching my blaster in its pocket. Then I remembered I'd left my Resistance clothes at home in my safe, along with my ID. Getting into the base might be harder than I'd expected.

The Resistance base came slowly into view through the trees, and one of the men on guard approached me and asked for identification.

"I left it at home," I explained. It was a weak excuse, however true, and I don't blame the guard for not believing me. He was about to bring me in for questioning when I saw Tal come out the door. I called him over.

He ambled toward us, his hands in his pockets, a curious smile playing on his lips. I explained the situation to him.

"Let her in, Rett," he said to the guard. "This is Bellah, she's with us."

Rett eyed me for a moment, then let me through. As we walked through the trees to the base, I told Tal the events of the afternoon, altered to fit Bellah Undarri's life, and explained that I couldn't go home anymore.

"Why were they after _me,_ Tal?" I asked, hoping he'd have the answer to the question that had been tugging at my brain since I left the palace. "There must be plenty of people who have offended the First Order, so why me?" I realized the answer as I said it, and it was so obvious I could have slapped myself. I was a _princess_ , and one who had attacked a trooper. Of all the targets, I was easily the most valuable.

We stopped walking, and Tal turned to face me. "It was probably just because you attacked those troopers a couple days ago. They found out where you lived and decided to take you prisoner or maybe even kill you. They like to do that. You're lucky you got away."

It all seemed like an over-reaction to me, but never mind. I'm sure the First Order had its reasons.

We opened the door to the base, but before we could go inside, a voice pierced the still evening air.

"Bellah!" It was Tas'harhi. She was stumbling through the woods towards the base, and Rett was trying to keep her from coming any closer. I went to meet her, but she stopped and stared at the base with wide eyes. Then she looked at me, and something seemed to click inside her head.

"You're with the Resistance?" she said quizzically.

I looked at Tal and nodded hesitantly.

"Who is this?" Rett asked.

"My name is Tas'harhi Wannen," she replied defiantly. "And I want to join the Resistance."

Tal was clearly amused. He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at her with a goofy grin.

"Hold on, what?" Rett, in contrast, looked thoroughly confused. "How did you find this place?"

"I dropped her off a mile or two from here," she explained, pointing a slender finger at me, "then I remembered I was going to ask her a question and followed her through the woods to this place. I can't even recall what the question was now. But I know I want to join the Resistance."

"Why?" I questioned. "You only just found out we had a base here, how could you make up your mind so fast?"

Tas'harhi shrugged. "I've been thinking about it for a while now, but I could never find out where to sign up. Exploring the galaxy, going on adventures, fighting the bad guys? Sounds like my idea of a good time!"

Tal and I looked helplessly at one another.

"I guess we could let her stay a couple days and see what it's like. Then she could decide?" I suggested.

"It can't hurt," Tal agreed. "Since she _has_ already found the base, I don't see why not. I'll have to run it by Commander Olin first, though."

He went inside and returned a few minutes later, nodding. "Commander Olin said it's fine. Rather grudgingly, but he said it."

Tas'harhi hopped up and down and clapped, her lekku bouncing on her back. I led her inside to the women's sleeping quarters, where we selected beds and settled down for the night.

So now I have a new home, new friends, a new identity, a new life. Not exactly the life I'd looked for, but I guess you should be careful what you wish for. One day my friends might find out who I really am, but I hope that's far in the future. I'm scared of what they'll think of me lying to them.

I might document more of my adventures later, and I'm sure there will be plenty. But for now, this is Arabellah Oleid, alias Bellah Undarri, signing out.


End file.
